Victory at Endor
by helpsy
Summary: Grand Admiral Thrawn has taken command of the Imperial Fleet and sets up a trap for the Rebellion at Endor
1. A new commander, a new weapon

For the glory of the Empire  
  
The tension on the bridge of the Executor was so tense it could have been cut with a vibroblade. The Executor had just been assigned away from Darth Vader to a new commander, yet noone on board seemed to know who it was. Captain Pieterson; captain now that Vader had taken his predecessor away with him for some reason. He just prayed that whoever his superior was, it would be someone with more compassion and reason than Lord Vader.   
  
(Best not to dwell on that) he thought, as the executive turbolift, used only by the commander of the Executor and its captain, hissed open. Out walked a humanoid clad in the uniform of a Grand Admiral. The entire bridge focused on this one individual. He was human in appearance, save his blue skin and his wide, red eyes.   
  
"Greeting gentlemen. My name is Grand Admiral Thrawn, and I hereby assume command of the Super Star Destroyer Executor and all resources assigned to this vessel," he stated in a calm tone, yet with an underlying tone of steel.   
  
"Orders received and understood Grand Admiral, and welcome to the Executor," Pieterson acknowledged in accordance with the established Imperial protocol. (A Grand Admiral? Hadn't they all been assigned to Death Star 2 in order that the Emperor might have them under his direct supervision?)  
  
"Captain, take the Executor to Tyronius. I will give you further orders when we have reached the system." Those red eyes seemed to burn into Peiterson's skull, as if analysing his brain.  
  
"Certainly sir, may I enquire why?" Pieterson regretted the words as soon as they tumbled from his mouth. High-ranking officers were often angry if they were forced to explain their actions, and the anger of a Grand Admiral was not something that he wanted.  
  
"Trust me captain," Thrawn replied, "everything will be revealed in it's own good time".   
  
"Yes sir, no disrespect intended" Pieterson heaved a huge sight of relief.  
  
"Relax. It's no heresy for a captain to show care for the men and equipment under his command." The gleam in Thrawn's eye showed he was slightly amused.  
  
"Well sir, it's just that Tyronius is very remote. I was wondering, shouldn't we be taking the fight to the Rebels? This ship is the mightiest in the Fleet." The memory of horror Pieterson had felt when Death Star 1 had been destroyed was enough to provoke him into redoubling his efforts to destroy the Rebels.  
  
The amused gleam in Thrawn's eyes was replaced with something else. What it was Pieterson couldn't tell, but it wasn't amusement. Once again, he wondered if he'd overstepped his mark.  
  
"Don't worry captain. When this operation is through, the Rebel Alliance will become little more than a blotch on the Empire's history."   
  
Three time units later, the Executor exited hyperspace. Pieterson couldn't believe his eyes. A huge armada of ships was orbiting the only planet in the system. He saw ships ranging from Corellian corvettes to Imperial Star Destroyers. Hundreds of ships drifted in their courses around the planet, with TIE patrols on sentry duty. Pieterson thought he could see that the TIEs were of a different design to the fighter and interceptor that the Executor carried.   
  
"Yes captain, those TIEs are of a new design" Thrawn calmly walked over to the viewport, interrupting Pieterson's contemplation.  
  
"Sir? How did you..." Pieterson was extremely interested in how Thrawn had been able to do that.  
  
"Someday captain, you will figure it out. In the meantime, give me your analysis of the situation." Thrawn stood expectantly.  
  
"Well, there is a large group of the Fleet gathered here. From what you said earlier I'm guessing this force is here for a decisive strike against the Rebellion. Also given the fact that those ships have newer TIEs than we do, I'm guessing this is a resupply operation. But why not replace the Executor's TIEs first?"  
  
"Think captain. Which ship will the Rebellion be watching with the greatest apprehension?"  
  
A light of understanding dawned on Pieterson.   
  
"The Executor. If they see it getting a large resupply, they will suspect something. But surely the pilots will be inexperienced in the new ships?" Unlike most commanders, Pieterson cared about the pilots under his command, and on his previous ship his TIE squadrons had been retrofitted with shields.   
  
Thrawn walked over to the command chair and sat.   
  
"You see captain, when we attack the Rebels they will be expecting TIE fighters and interceptors. Although our pilots are skilled, they are simply outclassed by the X-wing and A-wing starfighters. My intention is to turn the TIE corps into a deadly weapon, rather than a costly burden in terms of both men and equipment. By deploying the TIE Defenders," he said gesturing to one of the new starfighters as it flew past, "the Rebels will not only be outnumbered, they will be outclassed." Thrawn handed Pieterson a datapad. "Those are the specs for the TIE Defender, as well as a list of ships we have assigned to us. Also you will see the co-ordinates for our next jump."  
  
Pieterson thumbed the datapad. He was impressed by what he saw. Hyperdrive, a twin warhead launcher compatible with either concussion missiles or proton torpedoes, three lasers and three ion cannons, as well as shields and an ejector seat. The TIE Defender looked truly supreme. He then called up the list of ships assigned to the taskforce. He recognised several ships, including his former command, the Imperial Star Destroyer Hammerblow.   
  
"Will you want the captains to come aboard to go over the battle plan?" He asked Thrawn. Reviewing a battle plan was standard procedure, for without it commander often got confused.  
  
"No captain." Pieterson looked up, surprise evident on his face. (What in the name of the Empire was he planning?) "The battle plan is in the hands of the captains already. It is simple enough. Starfighter co-ordinator, have the fighters begun their transfer yet?"  
  
"Yes sir," a tentative voice rose from the crew pit, " 3 squadrons are on board already."  
  
"Excellent." Although his voice conveyed no emotion, Thrawn's eyes seemed to grow a shade brighter.   
  
On the Rebel scoutship Nightslip the opposite was being felt by its commanding officer. Jelok Tarr, a human who had seen too much death for his tender years was horrified. They had managed to remain outside of the Imperial detection grid and had even managed to hack into the automated defence scanners, using them to spy on the ships the scanners were meant to protect. The fact that the Nightslip was old and cramped did not help alleviate any tension among the small crew. Although it had been painted nonreflect black and its sensor characteristics drastically reduced, if an Imperial vessel decided to scan outside the automated network, they would be detected and, judging by the size and speed of the build-up, destroyed to keep it a secret. (Still,) Jelok thought, (we must fight the Empire in every way we can.)   
  
"Captain Tarr? I have the sensor readings you requested on the new TIEs" reported a crewman as he advanced towards his captain, holding a computer printout.  
  
Jelok took the printout and studied it intently, squinting to read the semi-legible print in the blackened bridge. To avoid detection, power output was reduced to a minimum and so even lights were dimmed. Suddenly his jaw dropped with amazement. These TIEs were unlike anything he had ever seen before. (High Command must know of this at once!) He turned to his helmsman.  
  
"Naron, we need to get out here. Turn the ship to our nearest exit and head for the fleet at Suulust." (If the Fleet runs into these new starfighters, then heavy loses will be taken. Whatever this big operation the Fleet is massing for, I bet this Imperial force will be there to oppose them.) The helmsman brought the engines online. However, their activation was detected by an Imperial passive sensor, which beamed a databyte to the Executor.  
  
Thrawn glanced at his datapad. Sensor 7 was reporting a spike in its region. So the Rebels had sent a spy to Tyronius. (Was it through accident or design? Never mind, I can always ask them when they are captured.)   
  
"Communications, sent a message to Binder and its taskforce. Order them to jump to point 7 and execute pre-arranged order."  
  
"Come on, you blasted engines, come on!" Naron cursed. Due to this ship's age, the reactor had to be warmed up before main engines could be engaged. Every minute the ship sat here was another minute the Imperials could detect them.   
  
"Relax Naron, those Imperial slugheads won't pick us up until we've engaged main engines and then its 10 secs max 'til we reach hyperspace," his captain declared, sensing Naron's apprehension.   
  
"Contacts dropping out of hyperspace! I count an Interdictor, 2 Carrack - class cruisers and a Lancer - class frigate." The sensor operator screamed. The Interdictor - class vessels generated a field that prevented any ships from entering hyperspace, thus stopping any chance for an escape. The Carrack - class ships were light cruisers equipped mainly with ion cannons for disabling other captial ships, while the Lancer - class frigate was designed for the exact opposite purpose - dealing with enemy starfighters. They looked opposites as well, the Carrack - class ships were long and slim, whilst the Lancer - class frigates were boxy and squat.   
  
"Distance?" Jelok asked. (Please just let it be more ships coming in for a resupply)  
  
"20 klicks and closing. The Interdictor is bringing its projectors online."  
  
"Sithspit!" (If those projectors come on line before we're out of here, this mission is doomed!) He snapped round to Naron. "How long until engines come on line?"  
  
Naron looked at the gauges and blanched, falling back into his seat in disbelief.  
  
"HOW LONG?" Jelok screamed, out of terror and anger.  
  
"Not at all. Engines are shutting down." Regret was evident in Naron's eyes, as if he had just spoken a death sentence on the crew. Jelok turned crimson and spoke through gritted teeth.  
  
"What- do -you -mean?"   
  
Captain Pieterson was amazed with the efficiency of the counter-intelligence section on board the Executor. In the few minutes since the spike was detected they had worked out what the probable mission of the spy was, how they would accomplish this and brought in measure to counter it. By piggy-backing the signal that was beaming the Rebels data from the scanner network the counter-intelligence unit had inserted a command to the ships main engines, shutting them down and placing a computer lockout on them, preventing them from being re-started.   
  
"Couldn't they override the lockout?" He had asked the technician responsible for the idea and its execution.   
  
"Given an hour or two." The tech had replied with a malicious grin born of the knowledge that rewards and maybe promotion were not far away. 


	2. Last stand of the Nightslip

Jelok knew there was no escape for his ship or crew. Nevertheless, the Rebel fleet had to know of what was happening out here. He reached over to his console and fired a messenger drone that sped away carrying all the logs and sensor data. Looking up, he saw his crew look at him with mixed emotions. A fear of death was evident on his sensor operator's face, a blind hope that his captain would somehow figure out a brilliant plan to get them out of this on Naron's. Seeing as though his entire crew had gathered here, he decided to address them.   
  
(May the Force have pity on these 15 brave souls,) he prayed.  
  
Deciding not to pull any punches, he took a deep breath and began,  
  
" There is no way I can see of escape. The Imperials will have sent a boarding force over from one of their ships by know I should imagine. Arm yourselves and prepare to repel boarders. Long live the Rebellion!"  
  
"Long live the Rebellion!" they chorused. (Even when facing overwhelming, hopeless odds we fight. This is why we shall win through, no matter the cost.)  
  
Assault transport Sigma 1 began to dock onto the hull of the Rebel ship. The stormtrooper sergeant was briefing his soldiers. As the men were sitting on two facing benches that extended the length of the craft, it was fairly easy for them all to hear.   
  
"We'll enter through the bridge. The transport will orientate so that both hatches are above it, and then we'll put the whole squad in there. It's the largest room in that sorry excuse of a ship, and it has multiple exits."  
  
"Meaning we can fan out quickly and kill more Rebel scum." One of his troopers growled, filled with the zeal for killing Rebels pumped into him by the Academy at Caridia. A hint of a smile played on the sergeant's lips as he remembered how the lust for battle had filled him. (Then the ice of Hoth froze it out of me....)   
  
"Sadly not trooper. Orders are weapons set for stun. The crew is to be taken alive." The disappointment on many of the troopers' faces was evident.   
  
"However we are allowed to begin preliminary debriefing of detainees." That brought smiles back onto many faces. (Works both ways. My troops get to vent some rage on some stinking Rebels, and Interrogation get an easier time because their subjects will be weaker.) The sergeant then summarised his briefing.  
  
"In through the bridge, weapons on stun. Secure the bridge and any detainees, then fan out as per my orders."  
  
The transport shuddered slightly as it docked with the Rebel craft. Standing up and putting his helmet on, he watched his troops do the same. They all checked their weapons and made their way to the boarding hatch. Even now miniature cutters were weakening the hull, ready for the stormtroopers to drop through the ceiling.   
  
"Fire team commanders, ready with flash grenades!" He called out.  
  
"Ready!" Came the shout.   
  
"Alright then men, who's ready to strike a blow for the Empire?" The sergeant yelled.   
  
"SIGMA SQUAD!" Came the thundering reply.  
  
(Prepare to meet your doom Rebels,) thought the sergeant as the boarding hatches on the floor lit up with a red aura, indicating they were ready to be blown.   
  
The next few minutes were ones that Naron would never forget. He had taken position behind a doorway leading into the bridge with his blaster that he had scavenged from a long forgotten junked ship that had crashed near his town. The rest of the crew was in good positions, and they looked capable of defeating even the Third Imperial Heavy Armour, let alone a mere squad of stormtroopers.  
  
(Who knows, we might even capture their transport and get out of here!) Nevertheless, he felt scared as he had never before in all his seventeen years. Suddenly the parts of the ceiling that had been glowing caved in, and two objects fell through each of them.   
  
"Grenade!" Called out the few Rebels who had seen action as infantry. There was a thud and the whole world seemed white. Naron heard several thuds and the distinct sounds of blasters set on stun. The Imperials were capturing his friends, yet if he shot back he might hit them. Uttering a curse under his breath, he saw the white was fading into a normal view, albeit blurred. He peeked round the corner of his doorframe and saw a stormtrooper looking at him. Naron had no time to react as a blue stunblot washed over him, causing him to flop over. He tried to move his legs, arms, anything but his body was no longer obeying his commands.   
  
"Team 1, take left. Team 2 take right. You, stay here with me and help gather up this filth." The voice through the stormtrooper helmet was so grave and deep that it filled him with dread. What made it worse was that he was face down on the deck and couldn't even see what was happening. Thuds of boots on the deck came closer and another voice called out   
  
"Hey, sarge. You got another one here."  
  
"Get moving Huttspit-for-brains! MOVE!" Yelled the first voice. The thuds moved away and he heard more blaster shots and bodies hitting the floor, but none with the clatter that would indicate that a stormtrooper had fallen. Naron was abruptly pulled up and slung over a shoulder, then unceremoniously dumped next to one of his crewmates. Out of the corner of his eye he could see it was his captain, Jelok Tarr. Captain Tarr was unconscious and had a bruise mark on his temple that fitted the size of the butt of a stormtrooper carbine. Then a stromtrooper leaned over him.   
  
"Sergeant! This Rebel is conscious!" He called out.  
  
"Then make sure he isn't by the time I get over there." Came the reply, in that deep voice that had so chilled Naron earlier.  
  
Raising the butt of his weapon, the stormtrooper brought it down hard in the way he had been taught to induce unconsciousness.   
  
Pieterson stood to attention as the Grand Admiral strode onto the bridge.   
  
"Any word from Captain Phullik of the Binder?" Thrawn enquired, as if enquiring to a serving droid whether they still served a particular beverage at a cantina.   
  
(Certainly not the level of calm I would have if I had to ask about a mission of this importance.)   
  
"Yes sir. The stormtrooper squad has captured the ship. 16 captives, no fatalities on either side. Interrogations are being conducted now. We will learn what we need to know shortly."  
  
"No captain, we know what we need to know now. We know there were Rebel spies here, therefore we can assume the Rebels knew something was happening here. Did they get any messages off?"  
  
Pieterson searched his memory. "A message drone was launched before the ion cannon bombardment cut the ship's power. Its course suggests it was heading towards Sullust...."  
  
"Where the Rebel fleet is gathering." Thrawn finished. "It appears that they were trying to warn their compatriots of our efforts."  
  
"Sir, if the Rebels learn of the new starfighter deployment, they may cancel their attack." Pieterson warned.  
  
"Ah, but Captain, this is a win - win situation for us. If the drone reaches the Rebels in time and they call off their assault, Death Star 2 will be completed and we will have a battle fleet with the most deadly starfighter in the galaxy. If it doesn't and the Rebels continue their attack, we will crush the core of the Rebellion and strike a decisive blow for the Empire." A smile played at the edge of Thrawn's mouth.   
  
Pieterson remembered a quotation from his time at the Academy, from when he studied the journal of a commander during the Clone Wars whom was in a similar situation. "We stand between the sea and the mountain. The sea will crush us against the mountain, and the mountain will drive us into the sea." Thrawn then sat down in his command chair and asked   
  
"Is my flagship ready, Captain?"  
  
(That's only asked if he intends to take us into battle! At last, the end of the Rebellion.) Straightening his back in parade ground reflex, Pieterson gave the correct response.  
  
"The Executor is fully at your command Admiral." He then became aware that the entire bridge had gone silent and was watching him and the Admiral. (Time for you to speak, Admiral.)   
  
"I wish to address the fleet, Captain." Thrawn stated. A short scuffle followed in the crew pit, and an equally excited and fearful crewman handed Thrawn a commlink.  
  
"Soldiers, crewers and pilots of the Empire. We now depart for the most crucial battle fought in this war so far. Trust in yourselves and your superiors and your faith in the Empire and we will win." Then, Thrawn added almost as an afterthought, "Hail to the Emperor!"  
  
"Hail to the Emperor!" barked all speakers, commlinks and crewers on the bridge.  
  
"Helm, set course for Endor. We have a war to win."   
  
The cheers alone could have carried the Executor and its attending battlegroup into hyperspace.   
  
On the bridge of the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Home One, flagship of the Rebel fleet, Admiral Ackbar transmitted to his fleet,  
  
"All ships prepare to enter hyperspace on my mark." (Han, Leia and Luke are on the ground, destroying the shield generator. The cream of the Rebellion is here to destroy the Death Star and end the Empire. This may not destroy it, but it will take a critical blow.)   
  
"5 seconds to hyperspace," called out the helmsman.  
  
Meanwhile the sensor operator, who was relatively inexperienced but showed great potential, was studying her monitor. (Has something come into the system? Its so small it could only be a message drone, and no one uses those anymore. Best not tell the Admiral or I'll get a demerit. The last thing I want is to be remembered as the woman who stopped the biggest operation the Alliance has ever seen.)  
  
"Engage hyperdrive" Ackbar ordered.  
  
The stars enlongated and the Rebellion Fleet sped off into hyperspace. The message pod had done its job. The data on the pod could have save the Rebel fleet from total destruction, but had not been opened because one person was afraid of a reprimand. 


	3. Debriefing

"Wake up Captain Tarr." A calm voice brought Jelok back to the world of the living. The last few minutes had been hell, and he had blissfully passed out. (Looks like the Imperial Interrogation Division deserves its repuation) he considered groggily. He was in a pitch-black room and strapped into a simple chair. The only illuminated spot was a small light lighting up a small area that encompassed a Star Destroyer Captain's chair and its occupant. Although his vision had not totally recovered from the last session, he could make out that the figure was not human. His skin was blue and had piercing red eyes. (A non-human? In the Imperial navy? Oh sithspit this guy must be good) The non-human stood up and spoke,  
  
"You are showing remarkable resilience to our debriefing techniques. None of your comrades have needed to be taken to this stage."  
  
"I'm honoured" Jelok meant to say in a sarcastic tone. Instead it came out as   
  
"Mwham Mannahd" (Sithspit! They've done something to my tongue. It feels all floppy)  
  
"The purpose of this session, Captain, is for you to listen to me, not to ask me questions or offer up snide responses. Now, all I want you to do is answer me this question; why were you in the system? Use the keyboard under your left hand." The being gestured to Jelok's left hand. Jelok craned his head and saw the keyboard and screen. He typed in "NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS IMPERIAL SCUM"  
  
"I expected better of you Captain Tarr. Very well, bring in the first one." A hatch hissed open behind Jelok, yet no light filtered in to the room. Two stormtroopers marched past him, dragging one of the members of his crew. The crew member, who Jelok recognised as the likable helmsan, Naron, was offering no resistance. (Probably drugged up to the eyeballs) Jelok reasoned. The two stormtroopers halted next to his interrogator, their cargo taking another stumbling step. They swivelled to face Jelok and holstered their carbines, bringing out two vibro-knifes each.   
  
"You have approximately 10 seconds to answer my questions. There will be three questions. If the questions are not answered to my satisfaction then I think you can guess what will happen." The non-human's voice was calm. The two stormtroopers betrayed nothing as to what they were thinking, as their helmets covered their faces. (If I don't answer this guy's questions, Naron is gonna end up as morgue decoration, but how many more of my friends and comrades will die if I do,…) Looking the Imperial straight in the eyes, Jelok nodded.   
  
"Why were you in the system?" Jelok held the Imperial's gaze. Seconds dragged on as he wrestled with his conscience before at last typing "SPYING MISSION"  
  
"Very good Captain, so pleased to see you are co-operating." There was no smug tone in the Imperial's voice. "However, what were you briefed to observe?"  
  
"RUMOURS EXISTED OF NEW WEAPON SYSTEMS. ORDERED TO OBSERVE TRANSFERS OF PERSONNEL AND MATERIALS."  
  
"What new weapon systems did you hear of?" Jelok seemed to have sparked the Imperial's interest.  
  
"NO SPECIFICS."   
  
"Just as well, otherwise my plan would have been compromised. However Captain, I will let you in on a little secret. There is a new weapons system in this Fleet, but you can do nothing about it."  
  
On that note, the Imperial stood up. The two stormtroopers slashed the throat of Naron, letting him slide to the deck. For one brief moment their eyes met, and Jelok saw the desperation, the fear and the pain evident in Naron's eyes. The Imperials marched out of the room and turned off the light, leaving Jelok in the dark with a dying man for company. 


End file.
